📌 Quick Summary (TL;DR): Vanka (Little Ivan)
- 🌍 Origin & Name: A private Russian heirloom variety that gained popularity through seed collector Anzhelika Manusha. The name “Vanka” is an affectionate, colloquial diminutive of the name Ivan (essentially meaning “Little Ivan” or “Johnny”).
- 🌿 Plant Habit: Indeterminate (tall), but highly praised for not being an overly aggressive “jungle” grower. It is well-behaved and unfussy, making it easy to manage in both greenhouses and open ground.
- 🍅 Fruit Characteristics: Classic red, flat-round beefsteaks. While some growers report average sizes of 7-10.5 oz (200-300 g), the original seed line is capable of pumping out massive slabs weighing 1.3-1.7 lbs (600-800 g)! The trusses are surprisingly heavy, often holding 5-8 large fruits.
- 👅 Flavor: A classic, solid “real red tomato” flavor. Well-balanced with a slight touch of sweetness. Perfect for fresh eating and slicing.
- ⚠️ Grower’s Note: Some growers affectionately refer to Vanka as a “slow starter” or “late bloomer”. It may take its time to fully ripen on the vine, pushing it into the mid-to-late season category depending on your climate.
I received this variety as a gift last year, but I know it originally came from Manusha (a private seed seller). I unfortunately didn’t keep my own photo, but here is description from Anzhelika Manusha:
“Vanka – a tall super-variety, the absolute leader of 2013! No words can describe it – just massive red flat-round beefsteaks weighing 1.3-1.7 lbs (600-800 g). 5-6 fruits per truss, some trusses even had up to 8. I don’t understand how the poor tomatoes managed to grow and hold such weight!”
I completely confirm all these claims. I absolutely loved this variety!!!
Galina, what about the taste? Did you grow it outdoors in open ground or in a greenhouse?
Zulya, I’ve mentioned before that I’m afraid to judge taste. Sometimes my first trusses turn out bland and the top ones are sweet, and sometimes it’s the other way around. For this one, I’ll just say: it has a classic tomato flavor.
To be honest, Zulya, I often rely on other forum members’ opinions about taste when I’m putting together my seed list for planting, because it’s hard for me to give a definitive verdict myself.
I planted Vanka this year (mostly because of the name 🙂) – probably rushed it, seeds were from Angelina, and the year wasn’t warm at all. It set fruit and started blushing red as one of the very first in the garden, but then it severely stalled. I’ll need to repeat it next season to get the full picture.
Tall plant. The fruit truss is somewhat fan-shaped, which confuses me a bit… the fruit shape on mine is more flat-round. Does this look like Vanka to you guys?
This is my Vanka. Got the seeds from Galya-64 about 4 years ago, finally got around to growing this variety. Tall, very heavy yielder, didn’t weigh the fruits, but they are large and flat-round. The taste is good, not sour. I will be repeating it this year. And Kot Timofey (Timofey the Cat) too (also a variety from Galya-64).
Unfussy, productive, but a bit of a “slow starter” (late bloomer) is Vanka. As of today, September 17, there are still so many cute fruits hanging on the vine, it’s a pity they won’t have time to ripen before frost.
I liked Vanka. Unfussy, not an aggressive grower, a reasonably tall indeterminate. Classic color and taste of a real red tomato, perfect for slicing. For me, it was mid-early. The fruits are flat-round, red, weighing 7-10.5 oz (200-300 g), juicy. The taste is balanced, “tomatoey” with a touch of sweetness.
I planted Vanka this year. It couldn’t fully reach its potential due to late transplanting into the ground (due to personal circumstances) and a very difficult summer weather-wise. But it was one of the few varieties that actually gave a decent yield under these conditions. Grew in the greenhouse, took a long time to ripen. The taste was satisfactory – but honestly, I didn’t have any exceptionally tasty tomatoes at all this year.
